Abrasive articles, such as coated abrasives and bonded abrasives, are used in various industries to machine workpieces, such as by lapping, grinding, or polishing. Machining utilizing abrasive articles spans a wide industrial scope from optics industries, automotive paint repair industries, to metal fabrication industries. In each of these examples, manufacturing facilities use abrasives to remove bulk material or affect surface characteristics of products.
Surface characteristics include shine, texture, and uniformity. For example, manufacturers of metal components use abrasive articles to fine polish surfaces, and oftentimes desire a uniformly smooth surface. Similarly, optics manufacturers desire abrasive articles that produce defect free surfaces to prevent light diffraction and scattering. Hence, the abrasive surface of the abrasive article generally influences surface quality.
Typically, the abrasive surface of the abrasive article is coated onto the backing of the abrasive article. The abrasive layer is typically coated as a make coat which includes a binder and abrasive grains embedded within the binder. Unfortunately, poor adhesion of the abrasive layer to the backing can lead to the degradation of the abrasive article and influence performance. Hence, the useful life of the abrasive article is compromised. As such, backings are typically primed to increase the adhesion of the abrasive layer to the backing. Although primers on the backing of the abrasive article enhance adhesion, the brittle make coat can delaminate or flake-off, resulting in the degradation of the abrasive article.
As such, an improved abrasive product and a method of forming an improved abrasive product would be desirable.